


and like the dawn you broke the dark and my whole earth shook

by Indrel



Category: Cosmere - Brandon Sanderson, Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack, Declarations Of Love, Fluff, Getting Together, Gift Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Panic Attacks, Post-Book 03: Oathbringer, bisexual adolin, bridge four as family, demisexual kaladin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 14:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21411955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indrel/pseuds/Indrel
Summary: Syl and Bridge four decides it's time Kaladin and Adolin starts courting and takes the matter into their own hands. What could go wrong?Feat elaborate plans destined to fail and oblivious idiots in love
Relationships: Kaladin/Adolin Kholin
Comments: 26
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [annabeth_hamilton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/annabeth_hamilton/gifts).

> Gift for annabeth_hamilton ([bi-lady-knight](https://bi-lady-knight.tumblr.com/) on tumblr) for the cosmere gift exchange! This was a lot of fun to write and I hope you like it!
> 
> Title from like the Dawn - The Oh Hellos

Kaladin hovered a few meters up in the air, using a half lashing to keep in place. The position gave him a good vintage from which to watch Bridge Four’s training. New recruits trained on the ground while stealing envious looks at the seasoned members who flew through the air almost like it were second nature to them. A group of new squires were being directed by Teft on how to use lashings to fly. Beyond their designated area a crowd had gathered. Kaladin wasn’t sure who was there simply to gawk at the Windrunners and who was there in hope to join the ranks, but he left that problem to Sigzil. High above them all Syl played with a group of windspren. 

Slightly further away another crowd had gathered. It encircled an area of sand in which a group of lighteyes trained. Despite Kaladin’s best efforts he found his attention constantly slipping towards it. Or rather towards Adolin. 

Adolin was sparring with some other lighteye using wooden replicas of shardblades. Even from this distance Kaladin could tell that he was winning. He moved with the grace of a dancer, every movement of his body fluent and seemingly without effort. His shardblade swung around him as if it was an extension of his body, or maybe a partner he was leading through a complicated dance. There was no wonder he soon managed to disarm his opponent, his shardblade pointed at the other’s neck. 

Cheers erupted from the audience gathered around them and Kaladin had to clamp his mouth shut to not join in. Nonetheless he couldn’t help but gravitate towards Adolin, using a lashing to move forwards. Adolin waved at the audience, a huge grin on his face, white teeth reflecting the sun above and making his smile shine. Droplets of sweat had collected at his brow and seemingly without thinking about it Adolin grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up to wipe the sweat away. While doing so he revealed his really impressive, muscular abdomen, chest heaving with every breath making the muscles move almost hypnotically. 

Kaladin’s face was burning up and his stomach was doing weird flips but he couldn’t take his eyes away from Adolin. Distractedly he drifted even closer. He didn’t notice the person in his path until it was too late. 

With a strangled yell he crashed into the other person, pain blooming in his side where a hard elbow had hit him. The other person yelled as well and gripped onto Kaladin’s shoulders seemingly out of reflex and apparently they also forgot to uphold their lashing as suddenly another weight was pulling Kaladin down towards the ground. The other person - a man judging by the voice - screamed in fear as they began a rapid descent. Though there had been no need for him to be afraid. Despite his surprise and distracted mind, flying was second nature to Kaladin at this point and he acted more out of instinct than anything else as he lashed the other person and himself upwards so they wouldn’t fall. They decent stopped and they ended up hovering in mid air. 

Finally able to look at the other man, Kaladin recognised him as one of the new squires. A darkeyed soldier from Alethkar who had joined them shortly after they came to Urithiru. What was his name again? Oh right, Jeol.

“Are you alright, Jeol?” Kaladin asked, using his authoritative Captain’s voice. 

“Yes, sir”, he immediately said, saluting even while still clinging onto Kaladin. “Sorry, sir, for crashing into you.”

“No need to apologise, it was I that didn’t look where I was going. Go back to the exercise.”

“Yes, sir!” Jeol saluted one last time before breathing in some stormlight and then letting go of Kaladin. Kaladin stopped lashing him upwards, trusting him to take care of that himself now. 

As Jeol flew away Teft approached, brow furrowed in concern. Kaladin sighed; feeling tempted to just fly away, but knowing it would only postpone the inevitable.

“Are you alright, Kaladin?” Teft asked as soon as he was close enough to be heard over the wind without yelling. 

“Yeah I’m fine, just got a bit distracted and didn’t watch where I was going.” 

Teft looked closer at him and then glanced towards the arena in which Adolin was still visible, now drinking some water and stretching to get ready for another fight … not that Kaladin was looking. “You have been … distracted a lot lately. Maybe it would be better if you stood this one out and got some rest.”

“I’m fine”, Kaladin snapped. “I don’t need to rest. Besides, even if I did, how would you be able to train without me here?”

“We can always go back to training on the ground. And I’m serious, Kaladin, it’s not safe for you or the people around you if you’re this distracted. Go and get some rest.”

Kaladin looked Teft in the eye stubbornly, not wanting to back down, but the determination he saw in his lieutenant’s - and friend’s - gaze made him realise he wouldn't win this one. It was better to cut his losses. He sighed. “Fine, but only for today.”

Teft clasped his shoulder. “Good man, now just give me a moment to get everyone back to the ground and then you can go and look as Adolin spars.”

“I don’t know what you mean”, Kaladin immediately responded, blushing slightly. Teft only raised an unimpressed eyebrow but didn’t say anything else, luckily. Instead he turned to yell at the squires. Kaladin left him to it, drifting down to the ground.

A second later Syl swished down towards him as a ribbon of light, before she reformed as a young woman in a havah. She sat down cross-legged in the air and cocked her head to the side as she studied him. “I saw you collide with that other man, is that why you’ve stopped flying? What happened?”

Kaladin grunted. “It’s nothing; I just got a bit distracted.”

Syl smiled innocently at him. “Did you get distracted staring at Adolin again?”

“What? No! I didn’t stare at him!” Kaladin protested, feeling his cheeks heat. “And why would I stare at Adolin?” The last of the squares touched ground and Teft gave the all clear for him to leave so Kaladin quickly began walking away. Syl easily kept in step with him even without moving from her seated position. Kaladin let his feet carry him wherever they liked while he focused on Syl. 

“You tell me, you are the one staring.” She shifted in the air so she was lying on her stomach, floating backwards to keep facing him as he walked. 

“I’m not staring at him!”

“Oh, yeah? Then why are you on your way towards him right now?” Syl asked with a triumphant little smile. Kaladin came to an abrupt stop as he reached the edge of the crowd circling the sandy arena. Adolin was finishing up a stretch at the moment, his arms raised into the air, pulling his shirt upwards slightly to reveal a sliver of skin, golden and black hair leading downwards visible. Kaladin had to tear his eyes away from the sight, feeling his cheeks heat and mouth go dry. It had become a common occurrence during the last couple of weeks and Kaladin couldn’t help but wonder if he's contracted some strange sickness he’d never heard of before. Maybe Urithiru had illnesses not found in the rest of Roshar. 

“I … I don’t know why my eyes keeps finding him all the time. It just happens, okay?” He didn’t mean to sound so defensive but couldn’t help it. Kaladin's eyes found their way over to Adolin again as if to prove his point. Adolin was currently bent over, reaching for his toes. His backside was towards Kaladin and for some reason Kaladin couldn't tear his eyes away from it. He had to admit that it had a really nice form and the pants he wore fitted very nicely. However it wasn’t like Adolin was the only man in the army with nice muscles and yet Kaladin never felt any desire to stare at them. Why was it different with Adolin?

Syl’s smile disappeared and she rose to her feet. She fluttered over to Kaladin and pressed her little hands against his face. He didn’t feel anything but a slight coolness where she touched him. “I’m sorry, please don’t be upset.”

Kaladin took a deep breath and forced himself to relax - at least as much as he was ever able to relax. He began making his way forwards through the crowd without caring about the grumbles and angry exclamations that followed his action. “No, I’m the one that's sorry. I didn’t mean to be short with you.” He combed a hand through his hair, grimacing slightly as his hands caught on a tangle. “I just don’t understand what’s happening to me. Am I sick?” 

Syl gazed into his eyes for a long moment, before clicking her tongue and flying to sit at his shoulder with her legs dangling in the air. "Nope, you seem fine to me."

At that same moment Adolin caught sight of him in the crowd and straightened out of his stretch. A part of him was disappointed but mostly he was relieved. "Kaladin!" He called and waved him forward. Kaladin only hesitated for a second before he jumped over the barrier separating the crowd from the sand. 

Syl hummed and Kaladin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I can kinda understand why you stare at him so much. He is really handsome." 

Kaladin immediately blushed, gaping at her in surprise. Then he turned back towards Adolin. This close Kaladin could make out the droplets of sweat still clinging to his skin, rolling slowly over sculptured features and clinging to golden and black hair. Adolin pushed that same hair backwards and out of his eyes. His blue eyes which glimmered like jewels. The smile he gave Kaladin was so bright he almost had to look away out of fear of being blinded, but at the same time he couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight before him. Something fluttered in his stomach, as if he’d made a sharp turn while flying. 

_ Stormfather, what's wrong with me? I'm spouting poetry over his storming eyes! Maybe Syl is right? Do I keep staring at him because he's so handsome?  _

"Hi, Kaladin, what are you doing here? I thought you'd train your squires today." Adolin sounded slightly out of breath after his sparring and took another gulp of water. His adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed and Kaladin’s eyes followed he motion with rapt attention. 

Kaladin frowned and forced himself to look away from Adolin - for all of a second before he failed to keep up. Hopefully his blush wasn't visible. "I was kicked out of training by Teft for being too distracted."

Adolin laughed, the sound so full of delight that Kaladin's lips quirked up at their own accord. Storms but that sound was beautiful. Even if it was on his own expense he never wanted Adolin to stop laughing. 

"Then you must have been really distracted", Adolin said and gave him a playful shove. Kaladin's stomach flipped at the touch and his skin tingled. "If you want you can spar with me instead. That is if you're not too distracted."

An earnest grin spread over Kaladin's face. He always enjoyed a challenge, especially from Adolin. He was one of few people that were on the same skill level as Kaladin and their sparring matches were always interesting. Mostly because it was never guaranteed who would win. Furthermore Adolin was one of the few things in this world that managed to make him forget about the pressing weight of the world on his shoulders. Being around Adolin he almost felt like he was flying. 

"Oh, it is on. Prepare to lose, princeling."

"In your dreams, bridgeboy." 

###  💨

Syl slowly drifted away from the sparring pair, pretending to play with the wind just in case Kaladin looked after her. As soon as she was out of sight she hurried back towards where Bridge four was training. It didn't take long before she found Rock at the outskirts of the training ground. She came to a stop before him and placed her hands on her hips.

"We need to talk."

Rock startled slightly at her sudden appearance but quickly collected himself before bowing towards her. He was always so respectful towards her and it made her puff out her chest and straightened up. "Of course, Mafah’liki. How can I be of service?"

"It's about Kaladin." She hesitated. He would be angry with her if he ever found out about this. Though hopefully he never would. "I think he's in love with Adolin."

Syl had expected Rock to maybe fall over in shock, or at least exclaim in surprise. What she did not expect was for him to simply raise an eyebrow and - in a respectful voice of course - say: “I know.”

“What! How long have you known?” She pouted and crossed her arms. She hadn’t known until just a few minutes ago and she was his spren! Sure, she had trouble understanding humans sometimes, but still.

“I’ve known for weeks. All of Bridge Four knows. Kaladin is obvious even for airsick lowlanders standards.” 

“But why haven’t he simply told me about it then?” She couldn’t help but feel slightly betrayed. “He has kept it secret from me for weeks and lied to me about it just now!”

Rock sighed. “Kaladin’s feelings is obvious to us but he knows not himself that he's in love. Is frustrating.”

Syl frowned. She had learned a lot of strange things about humans since bonding with Kaladin, but someone not knowing about their own love for another seemed ludicrous even by human standards. “You’re telling me that Kaladin’s in love with Adolin and the only person to not know is him?”

“I wouldn’t say only one, Adolin don’t seem to know as well. They seem oblivious to others feelings.”

“Adolin’s in love with Kaladin?!” Syl exclaimed and did an excited little twirl in the air. She wanted Kaladin to be happy and if Adolin and Kaladin became a couple she was sure he would be ecstatic. She would get to see his smile a lot more. 

“Maybe, is not sure.” Rock scratched his bearded cheek. That was another thing Syl really couldn’t understand. Why would anyone want a beard? They seemed like a lot of work and were itchy. “Adolin is not as obvious as Kaladin, but I think so.” 

“Then, why don’t we tell them and they can be happy together?”

Rock shook his head vehemently. “No, absolutely can’t do that.”

Syl came to a stop in the air and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at him. “Why?”

“Because Kaladin doesn't even know about his own feelings. Is possible Adolin is clueless as well. If we just goes to them neither will believe us and it will only make harder to get them together.”

“Then … what should we do?”

Rock sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know.“

Syl thought as hard as she could about the problem and couldn’t come up with a single solution. “You should gather Bridge Four and talk it over. If I distract Kaladin tonight you can talk it out over dinner.”

Rock bowed towards her and she preened. “You are wise, Mafah’liki, together we will come up with working plan.”

“Good, Now I have to return to Kaladin before he starts wondering where I am.” 

###  💨

“So, uh, what should we do about Kaladin’s situation?” Teft asked as he looked around at the other people gathered around the fire. A big cauldron filled with soup puttered above it, spreading its delicious aroma through the air. Flamespren danced around inside the fire, vaguely humanoid in shape and luminous. Rock, Lopen, Sigzil and Skar all exchanged looks before they turned as one to look at Drehy.

“What?” Drehy asked, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

“You are the only one among us that’s gay, so how do gays court?” Skar asked and the others - except for Teft that only sighed in exasperation - nodded along.

Drehy huffed. “Gays court in the same way straight people do, so you know just as much as I do about that.”

“That’s not our problem”, Treft pointed out, immediately gaining the other’s attention. “If the problem was that Kaladin don’t know how courting works, don’t you think he’d be here right now to hear our advice? No, the problem is that Kaladin has no idea he even has a crush on Adolin in the first place and it’s our job to make him realise his feelings.”

“That’s going to be a lot harder”, Sigzil pointed out.

“Which is why I gathered all of you”, Rock spoke up. “Hopefully we can make up plan that gets Kaladin and Adolin together.”

“Do we even know if Adolin likes Kaladin back? Does he even like guys? Dude might be straight”, Lopen said as he leaned back against one of the logs they used as seats. 

“I don’t know if he likes Kaladin or not but he does like guys”, Drehy said with certainty. As one the other’s turned towards him, looking like a bunch of question marks. Drehy rolled his eyes and elaborated. “I’ve heard that Adolin’s courted guys in the past. And from what I’ve heard Kaladin should be just his type, though that doesn't guarantee that he likes Kaladin that way.”

“They are really close”, Sigzil mused. “Closer than what is normal for a strictly platonic relationship, at least for Alethi. I think we should act from the assumption that Adolin has feelings for Kaladin as well.”

“Well, that’s settled then”, Teft said. “But we still haven't come up with a plan of how we’re going to get them together.”

“I got an idea. Why don’t we put both of them in a closet and lock the door? That’ll bring them together”, Lopen said and grinned proudly. 

“That will never work”, Sigzil immediately said.

“Do you have any better idea?” When no one said anything Lopen sat up straight, grinning at them all. “It’s gonna work, don’t worry ganchos. We’ll just lure Kaladin and Adolin to a small closet and look them in there. Then boom! They’re gonna kiss. Trust me, the closet works every time. And then they literally came out of the closet!” He laughed at his own joke until tears gathered in his eyes and he had to clutch at his sides.

Teft sighed, rubbing his temples as he could feel a headache build. He was not good on the whole relationship thing but even he could tell that Lopen’s plan was storming ridiculous but he couldn’t come up with anything better and none of the others spoke up. “Fine, let’s try it out. But how exactly are we going to get them both to come to the same closet?”

Lopen drew a few deep breaths to calm down enough to speak. “Uhh… Rock, you said Syl is keeping Kaladin busy right now, gon?

“Yes the Mafah’liki is keeping him aways. She was the one that wanted us to come up with plan.” Rock didn’t look up from the soup he was making, delicious smells wafting through the air from it. 

“Well, why don’t we just ask her to lead Kaladin to the closet, loco? She can come up with a good excuse.”

“That … might actually work”, Teft admitted with some reluctance. “But how do we make sure Adolin’s there?”

“I have an idea”, Lopen said and jumped to his feet. He turned away from their circle and peered at the other bridgemen gathered around their own fires. He caught sight of the person he was looking for and yelled: “Renarin, come here!” 

A few seconds later Renarin stepped into the fire light and after a short hesitation sat down next to Lopen. “Did you need me for something?”

“Yes, we need you to make Adolin go to a place tomorrow”, Lopen said.

“Wait, we’re doing this tomorrow already?” Skar exclaimed.

“Sooner is better than later, loco?” No one protested. 

“Uh, sure”, Renarin said, looking between the gathered members of the innermost Bridge Four. “Where do I need to take him?

Lopen grinned, a mischievous look in his eyes. Everyone with any sense of self preservation left in their body knew it was a dangerous look on him, as any idea he came up with while looking like that was doomed to fail spectacularly.

A short distance away Kaladin, while trying to convince a giggling Syl to unstuck his shoe from the ground, suddenly felt like someone had walked over his grave.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a panic attack. It is not especially graphic but I thought it was best to give a warning anyway.

Kaladin sighed as he followed Syl down another winding corridor in one of the lower levels of Urithiru. They would occasionally meet someone else but this part of the tower was mostly empty. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see”, she said, floating backwards momentarily to give him a mysterious little smile. 

“Then can you tell me what we are going to do?”

“Nope, it would ruin the surprise”, Syl said and swooped closer to bop her finger against his nose. 

He had expected that answer but it was still frustrating. He didn’t like surprises. Surprises could get you killed. But he trusted Syl and knew she wouldn’t lead him into something dangerous without warning. Besides, he had a big supply of stormlight on his person so unless he was attacked by several fused or one of the unmade he would be alright. 

As they turned a corner he suddenly found himself face to face with Renarin and Adolin, who was walking towards them. Kaladin’s stomach immediately flipped at the sight of Adolin. He was dressed in an impeccable kholinar uniform as always, every strand of his blond and black hair in its rightful place. When he noticed Kaladin walking towards him a bright smile broke out on his face and despite everything Kaladin felt a responding one fighting against his frown. 

“Hi, Kaladin, what are you doing here?” Adolin asked, his voice a deep baritone that always managed to make Kaladin’s heart beat a bit faster.

“I don’t know, Syl said she had a surprise for me so I’m following her”, Kaladin grumbled, shooting a look at the happy spren only to startle when he realised she was nowhere in sight. He twirled around and couldn't see her anywhere in the corridor. “Syl? Where did you go?”

The door next to him swung open and someone jumped out into the corridor. Kaladin was a second away from taking a swing at them when he luckily realised that it was only Lopen. Kaladin blinked in surprise and glanced into the room he’d been in only to feel even more confused when he saw it was a closet, barely big enough for two people. The next second he regretted not having punched Lopen as he grabbed hold of Kaladin and showed him into the closet, latching him onto the wall. 

“Hey! What do you think you’re-” Kaladin was interrupted by Adolin stumbling into him and caught sight of more members of Bridge four in the corridor outside before the door closed with an audible click from the lock. They were plunged into darkness, except for the slight glow from the lashing keeping him in place. Kaladin immediately became acutely aware of the proximity between himself and Adolin, the other bracing his arms against Kaladin’s shoulders to catch his fall. They were locked into a small space, alone, in near darkness. He could barely make out Adolin’s face inches away from his own.

“Sorry”, Adolin said, his breath ghosting over Kaladin’s skin and sending shivers down his spine, “someone pushed me.”

“It’s okay.” Did Kaladin’s voice sound breathless or was it only his imagination? Please let it be his imagination, he would be mortified otherwise. “Could you, um, let go of me?”

Adolin withdrew his hands as if he’d been burned. Kaladin immediately missed the contact, but it made it easier for him to breathe and think properly. His skin tingled where they had touched. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay”, Kaladin repeated like a moron. He breathed in the stormlight keeping him lashed to the wall and fell to the floor, stumbling into Adolin in the process. He was glad for the complete darkness that followed the action since that meant Adolin couldn’t see his blush. He quickly moved away from him as far as he could in the tight space. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Adolin pulled a couple of spheres out of his pocket, creating enough light to illumine the small room. The light bathed everything in strange shadows, but he could see Adolin’s face -  _ his handsome face _ , a part of him sighed dreamingly that he was quick to stomp down - well enough. 

Kaladin cleared his throat and distracted himself by pushing his way past Adolin - ignoring the way their bodies brushed against each other - to try the door handle. As he’d already suspected it was locked. He knocked on the door and yelled: “Lopen, let us out of here!” There was no response but that didn’t surprise him either. Not really. 

Sighing deeply he put out his hand to summon Syl as a knife so he could cut the door open. Nothing happened. Frowning he tried again. Still no result. Now he was beginning to get worried. Had something happened to his bond with Syl? He hadn’t had a single problem with summoning her since he saved Elhokar from the assassination attempt. Had he somehow damaged it without knowing?

Fear began to trickle into him at his tenth failed attempt to summon Syl. Somewhere distantly he knew his breathing had turned erratic and that he was freaking out, but he was too focused on trying and failing to summon Syl to really take notice of it. That is, until Adolin placed his hands against Kaladin’s shoulders. Taking in a sharp breath at the contact he swirled around to face him.

“Are you okay?” Adolin asked, worry evident in both his voice and the frown on his face. The strange light made the lines on his forehead sharper.

“I … I can’t summon Syl”, Kaladin whispered; voice barely strong enough to carry the words to Adolin. Still the words seemed to reverberate in the small room as if they were the trumpets of war calling for the soldiers to line up to fight. Dread settled in his stomach and for once it didn't seem to care about Adolin’s proximity. Fearspren—wiggling and violet—sprang up through the stone floor around him and wriggled in the air. “I can’t get us out of here.”

Adolin grasped his hands between his and gazed earnestly into his eyes, the blue of his eyes was vast as the sky on a sunny day and seemed so shine just as bright. “Hey,'' he whispered, voice filled to the brim with quiet assurance. “I’m sure everything's alright with Syl and your bond, so don’t worry, I’ll get us out of here.”

“How?” Kaladin asked, wanting to believe him but not completely able to. Every second that passed without Syl appearing only managed to drag him deeper into his fear until it felt like he was drowning in it. Adolin’s presence was the only thing that managed to stop it from going into full blown panic. 

Adolin smiled, it was a bit strained at the edges and not as big as his smiles usually were, but it managed to settle something in Kaladin. “You’re not the only one with a Shardblade.”

With that he gently moved Kaladin out of the way, basically leading him by the hand as Kaladin barely managed to move his feet on his own, and stepped up to the door. He held his hand out and a few seconds later his shardblade appeared in his hand, wet with condensed mist. It had a sinuous cutting edge, like the waves of the ocean, and a back adorned with crystals. He turned it towards the door and with one great sweep cut through the lock. The door swung open, the light in the corridor flooding into their small space. 

“Uh…” Adolin grabbed his spheres and stepped out into the corridor, leaving the way free for Kaladin to step out as well. When he did, he realised why Adolin had sounded so perplexed. 

In the corridor stood several members of Bridge Four; Lopen, Teft, Rock, Skar, Sigzil and Drehy. All sported equal looks of guilt as Kaladin stared down at them. Renarin looked between them all in confusion, obviously having no clue what had happened, and was being held back by Teft, who had a grip around his arm. Syl sat on Rock’s shoulder, looking none the worse for wear and strangely excited.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Kaladin asked, voice sharp with anger. He’d almost had a panic attack because he’d been stuck in a closet without being able to summon Syl and all of his friends plus the spren in question had stood just outside the door? He turned towards Renarin who seemed the only guiltless party. When Renarin flinched beneath his withering gaze he forced himself to appear a bit friendlier, knowing he was not at fault. Best to save his anger to those who earned it. “Do you know what this is about?”

Renarin pulled his arm from Teft’s grip. “I’m sorry, sir, I had no idea they planned to lock you and Adolin in a closet. They just asked me yesterday to lead Adolin here and I didn’t think to question it.”

Kaladin sighed, closing his eyes for a second. “It’s alright, I don’t blame you. You are free to go.”

“Thank you, sir”, Renarin said and did a quick salute before turning and stepping to the side, probably to wait for Adolin before he walked away.

Kaladin let his eyes linger on Adolin for all of a second before he turned back towards his friends. He immediately zeroed in on Lopen; the only one of them who not only looked guilty but also somewhat disappointed. Kaladin pointed an accusatory finger on him. “This was your idea, wasn’t it? Explain yourself. Why did you lock me and Adolin in a closet?”

Lopen glanced at the others before smiling apologetically at him. "Sorry gancho, it was just a little joke."

Kaladin huffed. "Well I'm not laughing. In fact if it hadn't been for Adolin and his shardblade I don't know how I would have reacted. I'm assigning all of you extra shifts and warning you to never do something like this again."

They all looked appropriately chastised and shameful so Kaladin turned from them towards Syl. She still sat on Rock's shoulder and smiled as if nothing was wrong. Her smile fell when his angry eyes fell on her. "Why didn't you come when I tried to summon you, Syl?"

She frowned and then glanced up at Rock. He looked back at her but the others understandably couldn't either see or hear her so they kinda just looked around in confusion. "Well if I'd come then the … joke wouldn't have worked."

"So you were in on it?" Kaladin's voice was dangerously low. He tried to not be angry at her as he knew pulling pranks was in her nature and that's she didn't fully understand human emotions and customs, but it was hard.

"Yes?" Syl smiled weakly at him and something in him just snapped.

"How could you do that to me?!" He yelled, startling everyone in the corridor. Syl shrunk in on herself, a wounded look on her face. Kaladin tore at his hair, ignoring the pain in his scalp. "I … I thought something had happened to you! I th-thought I'd d-damaged our bond again! I was trapped in a small room without being able to summon you a-and for a second … for a s-second I th-thought…" He had thought he was trapped in a cage again, shackled down and enslaved. Kaladin abruptly turned away from the men, not wanting to see their pity. Without another word he stormed off. 

###  💨

Adolin stood frozen in place, stunned at Kaladin's show of emotions, before something kicked him - literally. Turning towards Renarin he opened his mouth to ask why he had storming kicked him when the look on his face made him stop. A whole conversation passed silently between them as they looked into each others eyes. Adolin nodded and, ignoring everyone else, darted after Kaladin.

Renarin was right, Kaladin obviously needed someone to talk to right now, but he wouldn’t want to face any of the members of bridge four or his spren yet, but he might just accept Adolin’s company. 

Running the same way Kaladin had disappeared he was surprised at how far Kaladin had managed to get in such a short time. He was nearly out of sight. “Hey, Kaladin, wait up!” he called out and ran even faster. 

Kaladin startled and looked at him over his shoulder. His eyes were red and wet trails went down his face. He quickly looked away and harshly wiped his face with the sleeve of his uniform. Adolin slowed down when he was a few steps away, hesitating. Kaladin kept his back firmly towards Adolin and clearly tried to discreetly hide any evidence of his crying. It broke Adolin’s heart to see it. 

Not hesitating any longer he gently put a hand on Kaladin’s shoulder. Kaladin flinched slightly at his touch, but didn't shake him off, so Adolin assumed it was alright for him to keep it up. 

“My mom used to tell me something when she was still alive”, Adolin said and squeezed Kaladin’s shoulder gently. “She said that even the greatest of heroes needed to cry sometimes and that it wasn’t a sign of weakness to cry, but rather a sign of someone's strength. So cry all you need, I won’t judge you for it.”

Kaladin’s breath hitched and a sob shook his shoulders. He pressed his hands against his face and began crying in earnest. Adolin slowly put his other hand on Kaladin’s back and began stroking circles over the stiff material of his uniform. The muscles beneath were tense and hard as steel. They were really big and impressive and for a moment Adolin forgot why exactly he was touching Kaladin. 

_ Damnation, Adolin, your friend is crying and all you do is admire his muscles! _ He berated himself.  _ This is not the right time, you disaster bi. Focus! _

They stood like that for what felt like an eternity, but Adolin never once stopped stroking Kaladin’s back and waited patiently for his crying to subdue. He wished he could hug him but wasn't sure if Kaladin would welcome it and didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. 

Eventually Kaladin stopped sobbing, his body stilling and the flood of tears slowing down to a trickle. He sniffed and wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt. Clearing his throat he turned towards Adolin. His face was red and his eyes bloodshot and he looked completely miserable, but he was still so handsome it made Adolin’s breath catch in his throat. 

He would never tire of looking at Kaladin. At his lovely (for the most part) brown eyes that held such deep Adolin found himself constantly getting lost in them. At his shoulder length, brown hair that somehow always looked vaguely windswept and that made his fingers twitch with the desire to touch. At his lips that kept Adolin up late at night, yearning after something that couldn’t be, and almighty help him when they quirked into a smile. Adolin couldn’t stop staring at any part of Kaladin, really, as he was beautiful without compare. 

"Thank you", Kaladin mumbled, his voice hoarse from crying. 

"Don't mention it." Adolin smiled. "I'm just happy I could help in any small way. Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really." Kaladin dragged a hand though his tousled hair, pushing his bangs out of his face and revealing the brands on his forehead for a second. He looked exhausted. 

"Do you … wanna go somewhere? With me?" Adolin's heart beat loudly in his chest. He told himself it was only to cheer Kaladin up, but his traitorous heart couldn't help but hope for more.

Brown eyes scrutinized him. Adolin would happily drown in them. "What would we do?"

"Anything you'd like."

Kaladin gnawed at his bottom lip while he thought and Adolin felt himself flush. He really wished it was his teeth on Kaladin's lip.

_ Contain yourself _ , Adolin scolded himself.  _ This is  _ not  _ a date. Were just … two pals hanging out. Don't get your hopes up. Kaladin probably don't even like dudes.  _

"Before you … came", Kaladin cleared his throat and looked away, clearly still embarrassed about having been caught crying", I was on my way to the roof. Thought I'd get some air, maybe fly a bit. You can come if you want."

"Yes!" Adolin exclaimed then blushed when he realized he sounded a bit too excited. "I mean, yeah sure, I would like that."

Dark patches appeared high upon Kaladin's cheekbones and he looked down so his hair fell over his face. "Great. Then … just follow me."

"Gladly."

Together they walked through the halls of Urithiru towards the roof to start their not-date. 

###  💨

"... that did not go as planned", Teft said quietly once Adolin and Kaladin was out of earshot.

"Yeah, if it hadn't been for Adolin's shardblade it would have worked!" Lopen exclaimed.

"You mean, thank the Stormfather Adolin has a shardblade, because otherwise I have no idea how Kaladin would have reacted", Sigzil said, voice heavy with guilt. "It was a bad idea and we need to apologize to the both of them."

"You're right, but how? I don't think either of them want to talk to us right now", Drehy pointed out.

"Why don't we invite them for soup?" Rock suggested. "Soup makes everything better."

"That's a good idea", Teft admitted. "But how do we invite them? None of us can do it. Not even Sylphrena can talk to Kaladin right now."

Lopen suddenly grinned. "I know! Wait here for a second." Without bothering to explain anything to them he took off down the corridor, calling out: "Hey gancho, wait for me!" 

The other members of bridge four exchanged glances before, as one, hurrying after Lopen. They paused when they saw him talking to Renarin and approached more slowly. 

Renarin turned towards them. "Lopen just explained to me that you want me to find Adolin and Kaladin and ask them to come to dinner tonight so you can apologize. Is this true?"

"Yes", Teft immediately said, not showing any of the surprise he felt on his face or in his voice. "We are very sorry about how the prank turned out. We didn't know it would go that way, but that is no excuse so we need to apologize."

Renarin nodded, blue eyes serious. He began playing with his fingers. "Alright, I'll talk to them."

"Thank you!" They said in almost perfect unison. Renarin nodded a bit jerkily and shifted slightly from foot to foot before turning abruptly to go the way Adolin and Kaladin had disappeared to earlier.. As soon as he was out of sight Lopen began laughing loudly.

"What is it?" Scar asked, frowning. The others exchanged equally puzzled looks. None of them really felt like laughter was appropriate for the situation. 

"Don't you see, ganchos? This is perfect! Next part of our 'get Kadolin together' plan can start now."

"... Kadolin?" Drehy was the one to voice the question on all their minds.

"Yes, as in Kaladin and Adolin, genius right?"

"I, um, I guess."

“Or maybe it should be Adadin”, Lopen mused, scratching at his chin as in deep thought. “Kholinblessed? Bridgeprince? Nah Kadolin has the best ring to it.”

"Okay so what is the plan?" Teft interrupted. He rubbed at his temples, feeling a headache build up. 

"It's failsafe and a move of genius, if I say so myself", Lopen assured, puffing out his chest in confidence.

"You said the same about the last plan and look how that turned out", Sigzil pointed out. 

"Yes, but this will work, I'm sure of it."

"Maybe so, but you still haven't explained what it is." Teft was losing his patience and had to refrain from snapping at Lopen.

"Well y'all see, tonight during dinner after we've apologised to them, I will 'trip' and spill soup on Adolin, which will force him to take off his shirt." Lopen looked at them expectantly.

His words was followed by a baffled silence, that Rock was the first to break. "You'd waste  _ my  _ soup? Is not for spilling but eating."

"Yes I know, gancho, but it's for the greater good! Kaladin won't be able to help himself when Adolin takes off his shirt. Back me up here, Drehy, gays really like shirtless dudes, right?"

Drehy sighed, the sound of someone long suffering, but nodded. "He's right, we really do."

"See?" Lopen exclaimed. "And you won't have to do a thing; the Lopen will take care of everything!"

"Fine", Teft said. To ensure Kaladin’s happiness - especially after the ordeal they put him through today Teft  _ really  _ wanted to make his friend happy - they had to make Kaladin and Adolin a couple. Since no one else had a better idea they didn’t have another choice. "Let's try another one of your crazy plans."

"Don't worry, gancho, it will work and Kadolin will be together by the end of tonight!"


	3. Chapter 3

Kaladin reluctantly made his way over towards to the fire around which the innermost circle of bridge four sat. The same people who had hurt him earlier that day. It had not been their intention, but it still stung a bit. He was glad to have Adolin by his side.

The time spent with Adolin on top of Urithiru had been even greater than he'd thought possible. They had talked about everything and nothing at all, basically just enjoying each others company. Something about Adolin’s presence always managed to soothe him in a way he couldn’t pinpoint, even when it made his heart beat faster and his stomach feel as if it was full of cremlings. It had been really cold up there and they had been surrounded by dozens of coldspren, like spikes growing around their feet. Normally Kaladin just ignored the cold and used a bit of stormlight to help against the numbing of fingers and toes. Adolin on the other hand had solved the problem by curling up against Kaladin’s side, pressing their bodies together from shoulder to thigh. Every inch of his body that had touched Adolin’s had tingled pleasantly. It had made his heart almost crazy and the part of him that was a medic had been worried he was about to have a heart attack. The rest of him insisted that  _ if  _ he were to die then at least he’d die happy. 

They had stayed up there for hours, just talking and enjoying each other’s presence and the magnificent view before them. Kaladin had almost managed to forget about the hurt from before and all the responsibilities weighing him down had felt distant. He hadn't wanted it to end. So he had therefore been a bit put down when Renarin finally found them and asked them to please join bridge four for dinner so they could apologise. At the same time Kaladin knew they couldn't have stayed up there all day long. For one thing the cold had started to make them shiver at the end and responsibilities had a way of sneaking their way back to bite him in he ass. 

Kaladin and Adolin sat down next to each other on a free log in the circle, facing the members of bridge four gathered; Teft, Rock, Lopen, Drehy, Sigzil and Scar. Renarin was present as well but he sat more to the side as he wasn’t to blame for the whole thing. Syl hovered close to Rock’s shoulder. Kaladin crossed his arms and levelled them with a glare. After his talk with Adolin he wasn’t actually angry any longer, but he wasn’t about to let his men off easy. They deserved to sweat a bit after the stunt they pulled. Red and white flower petals started to float down to the ground around them - shamespren. Good. They should feel ashamed. 

The silence was broken by Lopen, who bowed his head in shame. “I’m so sorry, gancho. I had no idea you would react like that”, Kaladin cleared his throat and looked away, not exactly embarrassed by his outburst before but it wasn’t his proudest moment. “But that’s no excuse and I’m truly sorry.”

“We’re all sorry”, Teft added and the other mumbled their own apologies. “It was Lopen’s idea, but all of us were in on it so we’re equally at blame. Both of you deserved better from us and we’ll never do it again,”

“I forgive you”, Adolin immediately said and Kaladin glanced at him. Up on the rooftop they had talked about everything - everything except what had just happened - so Kaladin hadn’t known for certain what Adolin would say, but he wasn’t surprised by how quick he was to forgive. He had always been like that and it was one of the things Kaladin admired about him. Besides, for Adolin it would only have been a harmless prank if he hadn’t had to deal with Kaladin’s breakdown. 

The men turned towards Kaladin, anxiously awaiting his response. Sighing he closed his eyes for a second and let his frown relax slightly. “I forgive you as well, but there will still be disciplinary actions. 

Teft bowed his head and the others followed his example. “Of course, we will do whatever you ask of us without complaint.” 

Kaladin nodded and then turned towards Syl, whom had been quiet throughout it all. She flinched as if his gaze was a physical thing, but slowly left Rock’s side to float over to him. She wrung her hands and wouldn't look at him. Her voice was a whisper when she spoke: “I’m sorry. Are you angry with me?”

“I’m not angry; I’m disappointed.” Kaladin meant it; he had stopped being angry at her the moment Adolin calmed him down, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d been hurt by her actions. 

She hunched in on herself, her shoulders rising to her ears. “It's just … I’ve done a lot of pranks on you in the past and you’ve never reacted like that before. I don’t understand why this is different.”

“You’re right, you’ve pranked me before and I’ve never had anything against it in the past. That is because it was always just harmless fun. This too would have been harmless fun if it hadn’t been for one thing.”

“W-what?”

“You did not appear when I called for you. And that … truly frightened me”, Kaladin cleared his throat and looked away, his eyes burning. Everyone else pretended to be busy with something else and didn’t look at him, for which he was grateful. He wasn’t exactly ashamed for crying but he didn’t want to be looked upon with pity. Adolin put a hand on his back, his touch so gentle it was barely there. The support made it easier for him to take a deep breath and regain control of his emotions. He lowered his voice so only she would be able to hear him. “I thought I’d lost you again.”

She flew closer until her face was only millimetres from his own. Slowly she placed her hands on his cheeks. He could not feel her touch but still appreciated it. Her eyes were huge and earnest. “You’ll never lose me, I promise. Please forgive me.”

A smile pulled at his lips and he decided to not fight it. “Of course I forgive you. How could I not? You’re my best friend.”

Syl giggled and did a happy little pirouette. “You’re my best friend too!” She paused, a contemplative look on her face as she regarded Adolin, who still had his hand on Kaladin’s back. It was comforting in a way that wasn’t overbearing. “Please tell Adolin I’m sorry as well.”

“Of course.” Kaladin nudged Adolin to get his attention and once blue eyes - beautiful and so filled with light, like a pair of sapphire spheres - turned towards him he nodded towards where Syl was hovering in the air. “Syl says she’s sorry.”

Adolin turned towards Syl and smiled at her, except he couldn’t see her of course, so he was actually staring at empty space. “I forgive you.”

Rock clapped his hands once, immediately getting the attention of everyone gathered around the fire. “Great! Sorries is done, soup is done, let's eat!” 

The atmosphere immediately lightened and the men laughed as they began filling bowls with steaming soup, a few laughterspren—minnow-like silver spirits that darted through the air in circular patterns—began to zip about them. The soup smelled amazing, as Rock’s food usually did, and Kaladin’s stomach growled in anticipation. Next to him Adolin looked on with a puzzled expression. He’d never been to one of bridge four’s dinners before and clearly felt out of his depth. Kaladin snorted and decided to take pity on him.

“I’ll get us our bowls”, he said and began to stand when Lopen called out.

“No need, gancho! I’ll get them for you!” Lopen exclaimed and hurried towards them with one bowl in each hand, a big smile on his face. The smile morphed into surprise as suddenly his foot caught on something on the ground and he began to fall. The bowls flew from his hands and as he landed on the ground before them the bowls continued forward. One hit Kaladin in the chest, spilling the soup all over his shirt. 

“Storms, that’s hot!” Kaladin yelled and flew to his feet. The soup soaked through his uniform and the shirt beneath. It was scalding hot as it came in contact with his skin. Without thinking he pulled both shirts over his heads, throwing them to the ground. Then he breathed in some stormlight from the spheres in his pouch so that it would heal him. Kaladin let out a relieved sigh as the pain dispersed, but a exclamation caught his attention and made him turn towards Adolin. 

Turns out Kaladin wasn’t the only one who had gotten a bowlful of steaming hot soup spilled on him. Once again Kaladin didn’t think, he just acted. He rushed to Adolin’s side and grabbed hold of the front of his shirt, tearing it open so that buttons flew everywhere and then pulling it and the undershirt of him. It wasn’t until he stood there with two torn shirts in his hands that he realised what exactly he had just done.

He was standing, shirtless, in front of a shirtless Adolin after having torn both their shirts of … in front all of bridge four and Syl. Technically it could have been worse; he could also have pulled of their pants and Dalinar could have been present. That thought did nothing to help against the wave of heat that rushed up into his face. 

“Almighty! Are you alright?” Lopen asked and climbed back to his feet. “I’m so sorry, ganchos, I should have looked where I was going.”

“It’s not your fault”, Adolin assured, turning towards him. Kaladin still stood frozen in shock from what he’d done. “Could have happened to the best of us.”

Rock rose from his place by the pot and hurried over to them. “Be careful, soup hot!”

Adolin chuckled and rubbed at his chest. Kaladin couldn’t tear his eyes away from his bare skin. The peeks he’d gotten in the past while sparring together was nothing compared to this. Then he had been too preoccupied with not getting his ass kicked to really be able to appreciate Adolin’s defined abs and huge pectorals. Not to mention his storming huge biceps and the vast expanse of his shoulders. “Yeah I noticed, I think I got burned.”

That snapped Kaladin out of his … admiration (he had  _ not  _ been drooling over Adolin and anyone who said differently would get assigned extra shifts). “You’re hurt?”

“It’s not that bad, thanks to your fast thinking. If you hadn’t gotten me out of my shirt so fast it would have been much worse.” Adolin smiled at him and Kaladin felt his cheeks grow even redder. 

“Wait here, I’ll go get my medical supplies”, Kaladin quickly said and hurried towards his quarters. It was in equal parts an excuse to escape so he could get himself under control again and out of genuine concern for Adolin’s wellbeing. 

As he ran away he heard Renarin speak up. “Why do we need medical supplies when I can just use stormlight to hea-”, Renarin was abruptly cut of by what sounded like a shuffle. Kaladin paused and looked over his shoulder to see what was going on. Adolin was currently pressing a hand against Renarin’s mouth as if to shut him up. It made no sense, but the two brothers’  _ did  _ act strangely around each other sometimes, so he ignored it and ran off to get the supplies he needed. 

A moment later he returned with his arms filled with his medical bags. As he was a step or so away from Adolin he suddenly stumbled over something and, unable to catch himself in time, face planted in Adolin’s chest. Adolin’s arms closed around him, pressing him into his chest, to stop his fall. If he’d thought his situation had been bad enough before it was nothing compared to now. Not only where they both naked to the waist, they were practically hugging each other and Kaladin had his face pressed between Adolin’s impressive pectorals. Not to mention that they were  _ still  _ in front of all of Kaladin’s friends. 

Kaladin tore himself from Adolin’s arms, stumbling backwards a step and refusing to look him in the eyes. His face felt like it was burning up. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Adolin sounded a bit choked and Kaladin dared to glance up. Apparently Kaladin wasn’t the only one who was blushing, judging by the red on Adolin’s cheeks. It somehow made his eyes shine even brighter, as if the sun had risen on his face.

“Right.” Kaladin cleared his throat. “Please sit down so I can look at you … I mean touch you. I-I mean examine you to make sure you didn't get burned too badly.” He had  _ not  _ meant to say those things and cursed under his breath. The blush spread to the tip of his ears and down his neck. Hopefully he wouldn’t get much more flustered as otherwise it would continue down over his naked chest. 

Adolin sat down and Kaladin kneeled before him. He took a closer look on his chest, trying to see where the damage was. This close he could smell Adolin’s cologne - he recognise the smell of a couple different herbs, but underneath it there was a musky smell that made his heart beat a bit faster and his mouth go dry. Not only that, he could also make out the peculiar mix of black and golden hair on his chest and could see the miniscule movements of muscles beneath the skin. He really wanted to touch him. 

Shaking his head to clear it Kaladin forced himself to focus on actually examining Adolin, not only admiring him. His skin was a bit red where the soup had burned him and after a bit of contemplation Kaladin pulled out a burn salve that would chill the skin, which would take away both any pain and minimise the damage. First when he had scooped up a handful from the jar did Kaladin realise that for him to apply the slave he had to touch Adolin’s naked chest. As he both really wanted to do but also dreaded because he  _ would be touching Adolin’s naked chest _ . 

“This might sting a bit”, Kaladin warned, his voice a bit choked. He swallowed in a vain attempt to bring some moisture back into his dry mouth; it felt like he swallowed a desert. Hesitantly he put his hand against Adolin’s skin, slowly beginning to apply the salve. Adolin hissed at the first contact but otherwise showed no sign that he was in pain. 

_ Oh Almighty, I’m touching his naked chest _ , Kaladin thought while desperately trying to subdue his blush without any success. Adolin’s skin was warm and smooth underneath his hands and he never wanted to stop touching him. That was why the moment he was done applying the salve Kaladin tore his hands away as if he’d been burned. 

“There, all done”, Kaladin said and busied himself by cleaning his hands from the salve and putting all his medical supplies back where they belonged. That way he didn’t have to look at Adolin’s face or any of the men around the fire. He could pretend that he was just treating another one of his men and that it was absolutely nothing special about it. 

“Thank you”, Adolin said and put a hand on Kaladin’s shoulder. A shiver travelled down his spine at the touch. It reminded him so much of earlier that day when Adolin had kept him grounded throughout his breakdown. Except this time there was no barrier of fabric between them. This time he could fully appreciate the feeling of Adolin’s strong yet gentle touch. He shivered again. “You’re shaking. Are you cold?”

If anything Kaladin felt too hot, but it was as good an excuse as any to get away. “Yes, it is rather cold out here without a shirt.” He glanced at his soiled shirt. It would need a thorough cleaning before he could wear it again. “I’ll go get a new shirt in my room.”

“Mind if I borrow one of yours?” Adolin asked casually as if there was nothing peculiar at all about the question. Kaladin almost choked on his own tongue. “My room is quite far away and I don’t want to go all the way there and back just to get a shirt, but as you said; it is quite cold here. I’ll return it tomorrow.”

“None of my shirts will fit.” Kaladin was taller but Adolin was wider in the shoulders so at best it would be an uncomfortable fit. He was about to suggest Adolin borrowed a shirt from one of the members of bridge four - someone had to be a closer fit - but Adolin was quicker. 

“I don't mind that.” He rose to his feet and dragged Kaladin up with him. “It’s this way, right?” Without waiting for an answer he took off towards Kaladin’s room, leaving him to scramble after him. He just barely remembered to grab the medicine bag and his dirty shirts.

Kaladin caught up with Adolin just as he opened the door to his room. In that moment he was really glad that his military discipline made sure he always kept his room tidy, as he hadn’t counted on having anyone over - especially not Adolin. 

When the door closed behind them Kaladin suddenly became acutely aware of the fact that they were completely alone - not even Syl was present - and that they were both shirtless … standing next to his bed. At the realisation his stomach did strange flips in his abdomen and heat rushed into his face in greater quantities than ever before. It felt like he would burn up. His heart felt like it was trying to escape his ribcage. Kaladin didn’t dare look at Adolin out of fear that his thoughts were visible on his face. 

Without a word he opened his wardrobe and pulled a clean shirt over his head, the dirty ones already disposed into his laundry basket. For once he didn’t bother about dressing in the blue Kolinahr uniform and simply donned a white buttons up. He gave Adolin a similar shirt without looking at him. To be safe he even waited until he heard Adolin putting on the shirt before turning. He almost choked at his own tongue at the sight before him, covering it up with a cough. 

“It's a bit small”, Adolin said, looking down at his own chest. The shirt was a bit too long on him and he had folded the sleeves up a few times until they fit better, but there was nothing to do about the fact that the shirt was straining to keep closed over Adolin’s broad, muscular chest, the buttons seeming moments from popping. Slivers of golden-brown skin peaked out in the gaps along the shirt's front. It would be obvious to anyone seeing him that he was wearing someone else's shirt. That he was wearing  _ Kaladin’s  _ shirt. He really liked that. 

“You don’t say, princeling”, Kaladin shot for a sassy remark but it sounded more breathless than anything else. 

“Not my fault you're so skinny, bridegboy”, Adolin joked back and laughed, the sound filled with such mirth that Kaladin couldn't help smile back at him. 

“Or maybe you’re just fat.” No he wasn’t. 

“No I’m not and you know it.” Adolin put a hand against his chest over one of his very impressive pectorals and winked.  _ Winked _ . Kaladin sputtered, suddenly rendered unable to form coherent words. Adolin laughed again. “Come on, let's rejoin the others. I still want some of Rock’s legendary soup.”

Kaladin obediently followed behind Adolin as he walked back, but his mind was a mess. He hadn’t felt this way for anyone since … since Tarah. Was that it? Was the strange feeling in his stomach and the beating of his heart because he was in love with Adolin? Sure, he liked Adolin, but there was  _ no way _ he was in love. Right?

As they returned to the circle of bridgemen Kaladin had an idea. Instead of sitting down on the log next to Adolin he sat next to Drehy. Drehy looked at him in surprise but didn’t comment. Accepting a bowl of soup from Rock he thought about how exactly he should word his question while he ate. The happy chatting and laughter from the people around him helped to calm him down and get his thoughts under control again. This was just like any other evening; his closest friends gathered around a fire, eating Rock’s delicious food and talking. Strangely enough - or maybe not when he thought about it - Adolin fit in seamlessly in the moment, as if he was meant to be here. 

“Hey, Drehy”, Kaladin whispered and nudged the man lightly to get his attention.

“What is it?” Drehy matched the volume of his voice with Kaladin’s. 

“So I have this friend that wanted me to ask you something.” Kaladin cringed the moment the words left his mouth.  _ That didn’t sound suspect at all _ , a sarcastic voice said in his head. 

“Uh, okay … what does your friend want you to ask me?”

“How do you know if you have a crush on a boy?” The words rushed out of him in one big swoop, almost to fast for them to be intelligible. 

Drehy snorted and rolled his eyes. “The same way you now if you have a crush on a girl, I reckon.”

Kaladin blushed and looked away. “I suppose, but how do you know if you have a crush on a girl then? On anyone really.” Except for Tarah he had no experience in romance and frankly didn’t know if his reactions around Adolin was the symptoms of a crush or if friends sometimes just felt like that toward each other. 

“I can tell you the things most people feel when they’re in love, but keep in mind that these can vary between people.” Drehy ate a spoonful of soup before he began. “Most common is the feeling of cremlings crawling in your stomach, sometimes combined with a racing heart, heat in the face and a dry mouth, though sometimes you feel these things separately. Your emotions will be all over the place, from panicked to euphoric. You can’t stop thinking about the person and want to be around them a lot. It’s also normal to feel a bit possessive and jealous over them. If … the person you ask for have felt these feelings for quite some time - for lets say a couple of months - then it’s actually possible that what they feel is not only a crush but that they are in love. I can’t think of anything more right now but I hope this helped.”

Kaladin sat quiet for a moment as he thought about everything Drehy had told him. It was all things he’d felt around Tarah in the past and if he was honest with himself, he had started to feel the same things around Adolin the last couple of months.  _ Can it be true? Am I … Am I in love? No, it can’t be. _

“Yes, it was really informative, thank you. I- um I mean my friend will be very grateful.”

“It’s no problem; I wish your …  _ friend  _ the best of luck.” Drehy grinned in a knowing way that Kaladin did not like and winked at him. “On a completely other note, it sure is nice to have Adolin over for dinner, don’t you think? He’s really nice and  _ very  _ good looking.”

Something dark and angry reared its ugly head among his emotions and Kaladin felt a sudden and strange compulsion to snap  _ he’s mine _ at Drehy. Luckily he mostly managed to contain an outwards reaction - though judging by Drehy’s smirk he hadn’t completely managed it - and just a second later the emotion vanished.  _ What was that?  _ Kaladin thought, taken completely by surprise at the intensity of his emotions.  _ Was that the jealousy that Drehy talked about? But why first now? I’ve seen Adolin flirt with a lot of people in the past without feeling  _ that _ . Am I in love with him? _

Kaladin dared to look at Adolin above his bowl and startled a bit when his eyes immediately met Adolin’s blue ones. Normally if someone caught you staring they would look away, but Adolin just kept looking as if he didn't care about being caught. Or maybe as if he wanted to be caught. The seconds ticked by as if in slow motion, the moment feeling frozen in place. Kaladin felt like he was drowning in those blue depths and never wanted to reach the surface again. The smile he gave Kaladin was so bright it was as if the sun had risen. Kaladin didn't notice he’d gotten to his feet until he stood in front of Adolin.

“Can I sit here?” Kaladin murmured so only Adolin would hear.

“Of course”, Adolin laughed, the sound like music. “I always enjoy your presence.”

Kaladin's heart skipped a beat and heat rushed to his cheeks. He slowly sat down next to Adolin, leaving only a small space between them. He was acutely aware of every centimetre of space that separated them and wished desperately that he would dare to cross it, as they had done on the rooftop not that long ago, but of course he didn’t. Instead he contented himself with just sitting in Adolin’s presence, enjoying his company. 

In that moment, looking deep into Adolin’s sapphire blue eyes, Kaladin realised that he couldn’t deny his feelings any longer.  _ I am in love with Adolin Kholin, and so help me the Almighty.  _

Kaladin had no idea what to do with the realisation. Tarah had been the one to instigate a courtship between them so he didn’t really have any experience with these sort of things. Besides he would never dare to risk his friendship with Adolin over some stupid feelings. Whether they courted each other or stayed friends, Adolin was still one of the most important people in the world for him and he would not trade their companionship for anything in the world. 

###  💨

Later that evening when both Adolin and Kaladin had gone to their (separate, unfortunately) beds the rest of bridge four remained seated around the fire. They were not less tired than the two other men, but had important things to discuss that the other two couldn’t overhear.

“So”, Teft began, breaking the silence that had settled amongst them. “I think that went rather well, but did you really have to trip Kaladin on his way back, Lopen? It was a bit of an overkill.”

Lopen snickered. “Are you joking, gancho? That was the best part! Did you see the look on his face when he ended up in Adolin’s arms? Hilarious!” At the unimpressed look Teft gave him Lopen floundered a bit. “Plus it was important for the plan.”

“What plan?” A voice asked from the outskirt of their circle and all the members of the conspiracy swirled around to face the person present they had all forgotten about. Renarin looked from face to face, frowning in confusion. “Lopen falling with the bowls, was that  _ planned _ ?”

The conspiracy members looked at each other in hope someone else had an explanation. Eventually Teft sighed and realised there was no way out of it. “Yes, that was planned.”

“But why?”

“It was part of our plan to get Kaladin and Adolin together”, Teft explained reluctantly. Could they have more rotten luck? Surely Renarin would run directly to either his brother or Kaladin after this and tell them everything, ruining their plan. 

Renarin blinked. “Oh, so you also know about their mutual pining?”

Sigzil spit out a mouthful of soup, making Rock grumble about spoiling perfectly good food, but none of them was completely unaffected by Renarin’s words. Lopen fell from his seat, Drehy choked on his drink and began to cough, Scar jumped into the air and Teft himself startled slightly.

“You know?!” Lopen exclaimed from his position on the ground.

Renarin snorted. “Would be a bit hard to not know considering Adolin constantly comes to me to talk about his crush on Kaladin. I wasn’t sure of Kaladin’s emotions though. Neither is Adolin, which is the only reason he hasn’t already tried to ask Kaladin out.”

“What!" The men shouted in unison and Renarin cringed at the sound. 

“Yeah, Adolin really likes Kaladin and don’t want to risk messing up their friendship by asking him out without being absolutely sure Kaladin feels the same about him. But you’re saying that Kaladin has feelings for Adolin?”

“Well … we assume he does, but we don’t know for sure”, Sigzil confessed.

“Actually”, Drehy said, smirking, “I might have confirmation that Kaladin does have a crush on Adolin.”

Another round of exclamations went through the group. “How?” Teft demanded to know.

“During dinner Kaladin sat down next to me to ask me questions for ‘a friend’”, Drehy snorted. “I’m pretty sure he doesn't have any other friends besides us so I saw right through him. He asked me how you know if you have a crush on someone and after I explained he spent the rest of the evening by Adolin’s side, barely taking his eyes of him. So yes, I’m sure.”

Lopen let out a loud cheer. "It worked! Our gancho is finally going to get some."

The others spluttered at his choice of words and Renarin turned bright red. He cleared his throat. "You're all forgetting something important.  _ Nothing  _ will happen unless Adolin is sure Kaladin is in love and I'm not sure telling him about what Kaladin said to you, Drehy, will be enough."

Drehy frowned. "Then what will be enough?"

Renarin thought for a while, even taking out the box from his pocket to fiddling with while he did. "I've never seen him act this careful around someone he likes before. Usually he'll just go right up and ask to court whoever he likes. But Adolin have liked Kaladin for months and still haven't acted on it. At this point I don't think anything else than a full confession from Kaladin can get him to act. And I think we all know how likely that is to happen."

A sullen silence fell over them as they all came to the same conclusion at the same time. There was no way Kaladin would ever take the first step. All of bridge four’s plans had kinda hinged on the fact that they thought Adolin would take the initiative if just properly motivated. Now all of them came to the crushing conclusion that no matter how much they pushed Kaladin and Adolin together nothing would happen.

"What do we do?" Sigzil asked, hanging his head in defeat.

"Is not obvious? We get Kaladin to confess", Rock said and smiled with an ease none of the others felt. 

Sigzil threw his hands up into the air. "But that's impossible! Kaladin will never confess to Adolin." 

"Yes, you right, but-" Rock held up a finger, "he might say to someone else."

"... what are you suggesting?" Teft asked.

"Is saying if Mafah’liki asks he might tell her the truth. Is sure she will agree to help."

"Sure, he might tell her the truth, but how does that ensure Kaladin and Adolin get together?" 

Lopen suddenly began laughing and clapping his hands in delight, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Oooh you're a genius, gancho! Y'all what Rock is suggesting is that we'll have Kaladin tell Syl about his feeling for Adolin while having Adolin listen in on them! That way Kaladin won't know Adolin is there so he won't hesitate to tell the truth and Adolin will have the proof he needs to act!"

Teft turned towards Renarin. “What do you say; do you think it will work?”

Renarin hummed, the box moving faster between his deft fingers, as he thought. “For Adolin’s sake it better work because I’m tired of his pining and if he doesn't confess then I’ll tell Kaladin everything. And I really mean everything. Adolin has practically gushed non stop about Kaladin from the moment he saved him at the arena. There's a lot of material only from today.” Renarin snorted. “Like after Lopen spilled soup on him and I was about to offer to heal him with stormlight, but Adolin stopped me because he wanted Kaladin to touch him. I will not stop telling Kaladin of every single thing, of every second of pining, unless Adolin finally admits to his feelings.”

Lopen whistled a single, outdrawn note. “Damn, gancho, remind me to never get on your bad side. That is ruthless.”

Renarin blushed and looked down at the ground. “I’m just tired of their pining and want them to be happy together. 

“That’s a good backup plan and all, but what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Sigzil asked, bringing them back on track again.

“I have a plan”, Renarin said. “Just listen and I’ll tell you all about it.”

###  💨

Kaladin sat in the Gallery of Maps, looking out the window at the city below and the plateau beyond. People moved over the plateau, but from this distance they looked like little cremlings scurrying back and forth. 

As the name of the room betrayed it was filled with maps, showcasing all of Roshar. A row of chairs encircled the table in the room’s middle. At the moment Kaladin was the only one taking up a seat, but during meetings every single chair would be preoccupied by advisors, generals, scribes, scholars and political leaders. It was nice to have the room for himself for a change. Well, almost for himself. Syl was with him of course.

Kaladin liked to come here - really to any of the rooms at the top of Urithiru - when he felt a need to escape from the pressure of responsibility. And if going to the top of the tower wasn’t enough he would just throw himself off it and fly into the sky. There was something about being high above everyone else that made things seem easier, at least for a moment. 

“Hey, Kal?” Syl said, drawing his attention away from the sight before him. She sat crossed legged in the air next to his head. 

“What is it?”

“What do you think about Adolin?” She asked, tilting her head to the side like a curious axehound. 

Kaladin frowned. “That’s a strange question even for you. Why do you ask?”

Syl shrugged. “Dunno, you’ve just spent more time with him than normal and I’m curious. Tell me everything.”

Kaladin snorted. “That might take some time; I’ve known him for quite awhile.”

“That’s okay, we got time.” She shifted into a lying position, resting on her stomach and resting her head on her hands. She was of course still hovering in empty air. “Start from the beginning.”

Considering it would take some time Kaladin shifted on the chair to find a more comfortable position. He pushed his bangs out of his face and sighed as he thought back. “I have to admit that when I first met him I thought he was an arrogant, useless lighteye. A prince that had gotten everything handed to him and knew nothing about hardship. I didn't trust him and I didn’t like him. But he proved me wrong, again and again and again.” A small smile quirked his lips at the memories that flooded forth.

“He proved his skill as a warrior in both battles and in duels, gaining my grudging respect. I realised that at least in battle I could count on him. He proved his kindness again and again in the way he interacted with his men, with servants, with  _ me _ . Despite often mocking me and making fun of me he was never cruel and never treated me like less because I was darkeyed. Then he proved to me that I could trust him. He took a stance against his cousin, the king, for my sake.” Kaladin remembered the moment he learned Adolin had imprisoned himself in protest of his imprisonment like it was yesterday. It had been one of his lowest points, but to know Adolin believed in him, trusted in him… Suffice to say it had been impossible not to be his friend afterwards. 

Syl smiled big enough to almost cut her face in two, her eyes twinkling. “And then you became friends.”

“And then we became friends”, Kaladin confirmed, returning her smile. Then he blushed and looked away, suddenly feeling bashful. He cleared his throat. “But I’m not sure that's the only thing I feel for him any longer.”

“Really?” Syl exclaimed, sitting up suddenly and wiggling around in happiness. “Is this about how you're always staring at him?”

Kaladin felt his cheeks grow even hotter, embarrassed to be called out like that. “Yeah I guess, it’s as you said the other day; he is really handsome.” Kaladin couldn’t contain a dreamy sigh then immediately tried to cover it up by coughing. He did  _ not  _ sigh like some lovesick young girl. “His eyes are so blue and I would happily drown in them. His hair is always perfect; I want to mush it up with my hands. And his muscles … Almighty, I’ve never seen a more perfect pair of pectorals before in my life.” He glanced around the room to make sure it was still empty - of course it was - and lowered his voice. “I thought I would die yesterday when I got to touch them. 

“But most importantly, he makes me feel safe and cherished. When I’m with him none of my problems seem impossible and everything seems a little bit easier and lighter. Somehow he knows exactly what to do to make me happy. Being hugged by him feels like coming home.”

Syl swooped down until she was almost close enough to touch his nose. Kaladin became a bit cross-eyed trying to keep her in his sight. She giggled and put her hands against his nose, though he couldn’t feel it. “You really like him.”

“I do”, Kaladin admitted finally to both her and himself. “I can’t deny it any longer, not after the talk I had with Drehy last night. I  _ like _ , like Adolin. Being near him makes my stomach feel like it's crawling with cremlings. My heart beats so hard and fast it’s like it wants to escape my chest and jump into Adolin’s hands, where it belongs. I … I  _ really  _ like him. I-” he gulped and had to force the words out through the lump in his throat, suddenly afraid, “I’m in love with him.”

One of the doors leading into the room opened with a slam and Kaladin jumped in his seat, heart jumping into his throat. When he turned and found Adolin standing in the doorway, eyes wide as dinner plates and mouth open in shock, his heart took refugee in his stomach instead, dropping like a stone. 

There was no doubt that Adolin had heard what he said. Dread swept through him in a great tidal wave, sweeping his feet away under him and drowning him. Kaladin wanted to flee from the room; to jump out the window if that’s what was necessary to get away. Instead he remained frozen, doomed to wait for the inevitable rejection. Because there was no way Adolin could feel the same way. Not when Adolin was so wonderful in every way while Kaladin … was not. That’s why the words that actually left Adolin’s mouth left him gasping in shock. 

“I’m in love with you as well”, Adolin said, panting slightly, cheeks rosy and eyes blown wide. 

“W-what?” Kaladin choked out, not believing his ears.

Adolin straightened up, something determined entering his eyes, and made his way towards Kaladin. Kaladin gasped when Adolin went down on his knees in front of him, taking his hands in his own and squeezing them gently. “I’m in love with you and have been for months. I’ve been dying to tell you, but was afraid to ruin our friendship if I did. I care too much about you to be able to bear losing you.” A brilliant smile spread over his face, almost blinding Kaladin, yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away. “But you are in love with me as well! I’m so happy I could fly!”

“B-but how is this possible? Why, out of everyone, do you love me? I don’t deserve you.”

“Are you kidding me?” Adolin asked, voice incredulous, but when a tear escaped from Kaladin’s eye he smiled softly at him and cupped his cheek with one hand. “It is I that don’t deserve you.” 

Kaladin shook his head in denial, not able to believe what Adolin was telling him. Adolin was better than him in every way, so how could he think that? “No, you’re wrong. I’m just so pathetic, miserable and can’t do anything right. You on the other hand are perfect in every way. For storms sake, you're a storming prince!”

“And you’re a storming Knights Radiant!”Adolin cried, stunning him into silence. He sighed and reached up to cup Kaladin’s other cheek as well. The touch was gentle yet grounding and it made Kaladin’s skin tingle pleasantly. “Just listen to me. You are an incredible man; the most incredible man I’ve ever met. You are so brave and loyal; you care so deeply that it hurts you when others are sad or injured. You have more honour in your pinkie than most men have in their whole bodies. You are so handsome that I sometimes don’t know what to do with myself. Most importantly, I could not ask for a better friend than you and I would be honoured if you agreed to court.”

Some tears had escaped his eyes despite Kaladin’s best attempts to contain them and he blinked rapidly to clear them away; he wanted to see Adolin clearly. Adolin stroked underneath his eyes with his thumbs, catching the few tears that fell. Despite the tears Kaladin found himself smiling so widely his cheeks hurt. “Yes! Yes of course I want to court!”

Adolin’s smile was like the sun after a Highstorm; brilliant, beautiful and beyond captivating, it made Kaladin finally relax and believe that this was actually happening. Adolin actually wanted him, cared for him. Kaladin couldn’t help but smile back just as brightly, feeling so giddy with happiness he couldn’t contain himself. Adolin still held Kaladin’s face in his hands and now he leaned closer, tongue darting out to wet his lips. Kaladin copied the action, his heart hammering away in his chest and heat collecting in his face beneath Adolin’s warm hands. Their lips were less than an inch apart and their breaths intermingled in the space between them. 

“Yes! We did it!” Cried a new voice right before they were to kiss and they flew apart, blushing profusely. His cheeks felt cold without Adolin’s touch and his heart ached with disappointment at the almost kiss. 

Kaladin turned towards the new voice and saw that the second door stood open. Lopen, Rock, Teft, Drehy, Sigzil and Scar stood right outside the door, peeking around the doorway to look at them. Renarin stood in the first doorway. Syl sat at the back of a nearby chair, face alight with happiness. It was Lopen who had cried out and the others turned to stare at him. “Whoops”, he muttered, shrugging.

“How long have you been standing there?” Kaladin asked, the words coming out more like a squawk than any coherent words. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to jump out the window. “And what do you mean by ‘we did it’?”

Syl squealed and did a little pirouette. “We had a plan to get the two of you together and it worked! I’m so happy for you, Kaladin.”

“You planned this?!” Kaladin exclaimed, anger bubbling up beneath the surprise and embarrassment. He turned towards Adolin. “Were you in on it?”

“I had no idea, I promise”, Adolin said, his face bearing the same mix of anger, embarrassment and betrayal Kaladin felt. 

“I believe you”, Kaladin whispered so only Adolin would hear. “I trust you with my life.”

“I’m sorry, lad”, Teft said and they turned back toward him. “It wasn’t part of the plan for you to find out, but yes, we have been trying to get the two of you together for the last couple of days.”

Realisation lit up in Kaladin’s head. “The closet was part of it, wasn’t it? And the soup as well?”

Teft nodded. “It was, but it didn’t work. We we’re about to give up when Renarin came up with this plan.”

They turned towards Renarin, who floundered a bit at the attention. “Rin?” Adolin asked. “What did you do?”

Renarin gulped and stepped nervously into the room. “I did nothing really; I was just tired of hearing you pining after Kaladin when it was obvious he felt the same. So I created a plan to lead you here so you could hear Kaladin and Syl talk, hoping she could make him confess.” He regarded both of them with a serious expression as if to make sure they understood the truth in his words. “Everything else was entirely genuine. The fact that we tried to make it happen faster than it would if we’d just left it alone changes nothing. Adolin deeply cares for you Kaladin, and Kaladin cares just as deeply for you, Adolin.”

Kaladin turned back towards Adolin and met his eyes. His beautiful, blue eyes that was filled to the brim with love - for Kaladin. He could only hope that his own eyes expressed even a fraction of the love he felt in return, so that Adolin would know just how much he cared about him. 

Rising to his feet Kaladin walked over to the row of windows and pushed one open. A cold wind immediately swept into the room, making him shiver slightly. 

“Captain?” Sigzil asked, confused and slightly afraid. Kaladin ignored him. He only had eyes for Adolin.

Holding his hand out in offer towards Adolin he asked: “Do you trust me?”

Adolin’s smile was answer enough and he put his hand in Kaladin’s. “With my life”, he whispered for only Kaladin to hear. 

Together they climbed out through the window and once they stood on the small terrace outside Kaladin pulled Adolin closer until they stood chest to chest. With a smile meant only for Adolin he breathed in a lungful of stormlight and lashed them upwards, into the sky. A few windspren, like ribbons of light, began dancing around them as they ascended. Adolin clung to him, but his eyes never left Kaladin’s and there was no fear in them. 

Once they were a few hundred meter above Urithiru Kaladin stopped their ascend and had them hovering in the open air. They had their arms around each other and their bodies were pressed flush. Kaladin could feel Adolin’s rapid heartbeat, as Adolin could probably feel Kaladin’s own racing heart. In the short space between their faces their breathes mingled, visible in the cold air. Adolin glanced down at Kaladin’s lips and his tongue darted out to wet his own lips, leaving them shiny and inviting. 

“Can I kiss you?” Adolin whispered, voice dark with desire. Kaladin shivered, and it had nothing to do with the cold air. 

“Please”, Kaladin responded, heart beating so hard he was almost worried that it would break free from his thorax and meld together with Adolin’s heart. 

Adolin snuck one hand into Kaladin’s hair and leaned his head downwards so the slight difference in height disappeared. He leaned closer until their lips almost touched, blue eyes never looking away from Kaladin. Their lips touched gently at first and then with more pressure, more urge. Kaladin gasped into the kiss as fireworks went off in his head and Adolin took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, slipping his tongue into Kaladin's mouth. Passionspren, like tiny flakes of crystalline snow, floated down in the air around them.

Hundreds of meter ups in the air all Kaladin could feel, hear, see, smell and taste was Adolin. His whole being seeming to melt together with Adolin until he couldn’t tell where he stopped and Adolin began. He never wanted it to stop, and at least for now he didn’t have to. Soon enough they would be forced to face their responsibilities, but for now it was only the two of them in the whole world. And when the world finally crashed down on them at least he knew without a doubt that Adolin would still be there, loving him just as fiercely and deeply as Kaladin loved him back. 

**Author's Note:**

> [find me at my tumblr!](https://kaladinisbae.tumblr.com/)


End file.
